


The best thing that's ever been mine

by ClaritaWinter



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alpha Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Introspection, Joe is a concerned Baba, M/M, Mpreg, Nicky is a calming Dada, Omega Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Soft Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Soft Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, This is another one of my experiments, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-23 04:35:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30050013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaritaWinter/pseuds/ClaritaWinter
Summary: As an Alpha, Joe knew it was expected of him to keep his head steady and provide for his omega, needing to take care of him now more than ever.He also knew Nicky would shoot him if he found out he was letting societal rules get to him. But he couldn’t help it. He was afraid. What if he messed up? What if their kid hated him? What if he couldn’t protect them like he should? What if he wasn’t ready? What if Nicky started hating him for being a terrible father?Joe is worried he's not going to be a good father. Nicky assures him that he will.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 37
Kudos: 257





	The best thing that's ever been mine

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing an a/b/o fic, although I've been familiar with the trope and enjoy it quite a lot, I sincerely never thought I would, one day, write about it. It was super fun and easy and I hope you, person who just clicked on this fic, like it!
> 
> My precious thanks to the lovely [Aqua](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sal_si_puedes/pseuds/sal_si_puedes) for her amazing suggestions and inputs. A fantastic beta all around.

“And three...two...one. Three minutes and forty-five seconds, you did it!” Booker shouted at Joe and showed him the digital chronometer that proved his ability to change a diaper in under four minutes. 

“No, that’s still not good enough. I wanna bring it down to two.” Joe rubbed a hand over his beard and sighed at the baby doll with its empty blue eyes and chubby little hands. In less than three months it would be his child staring back at him, waiting for their incompetent, slow _Baba_ to change their diaper. 

“This isn’t a diaper-changing competition for future dads, Yusuf. There’s no need to rush.” Nicky said from where he sat cross-legged in an upholstered couch in the living room. He was wearing an oversized grey hoodie and sweatpants, round, thin-rimmed glasses and had a baby food cookbook in his lap.

Nicky looked more angelic with each passing day. 

“You say that because you can do it in two minutes.” Joe’s shoulders sagged and he dropped onto the couch by Nicky’s side, laying his head on Nicky’s chest and touching his baby bump. Seven months. Twenty-nine weeks. Less than two months for their baby to arrive. 

Joe felt as if he was going to lose his mind.

“Well, I’m a nursery nurse, my love,” Nicky said. “It would be quite strange if I didn’t know how to quickly change a diaper.” Nicky caressed Joe’s curls as he tried to ease Joe’s mind. “Don’t worry, baby. You’re going to master that and every other single chore. You’ll see.” 

_And every other single chore._ Joe knew he'd been acting like a lunatic for the past few weeks as he saw the evidence of how much their lives were to change forever everytime he looked at his omega’s swollen belly. 

Joe remembered how ecstatic he had been when Nicky had told him he was pregnant. He had been in his office, scribbling ideas in his journal for a new short story he was working on, when he had heard Nicky’s quiet footsteps rounding the corner of his desk and then standing still by his side. Joe had looked up and had seen Nicky’s aquamarine eyes brimming with tears, mouth struggling to speak something, as if he had been too overwhelmed to let out any sound. 

Joe had instantly stood up, eyes tinged with concern for his omega. But then, as the tears had spilled down his cheeks, he had broken into a big smile and had whispered four small words: “We’re three now.” Joe had seen the pregnancy test in Nicky’s hand, two straight lines tilting his world off its axis. 

Joe had lifted Nicky off his feet and had twirled him across the room, dizzy with happiness. Joe had always been a family man, and one of his biggest desires was to one day become a father. He hadn’t been able to believe the time had come. He hadn’t been able to believe he was about to start a family with the kindest, selfless and most beautiful man he had ever met.

They made love that night, slowly and passionately. Roaming mouths, tender touches, soft smiles and warm bodies moving as one, riding the enchanting wave of happiness, the excitement of the unknown, and the prospect of figuring it out together, and Joe’s joy of sharing another piece of himself with Nicky. 

But then he had discovered that the first trimester was the most dangerous period for a pregnant omega. 

And then he had remembered that putting a kid into this world wouldn’t be just fun playing and happy giggles. Their responsibilities would double. Food, diapers, clothes, baby proofing the house, pediatricians, medicine, childcare, toys, books, education…

As an Alpha, Joe knew it was expected of him to keep his head steady and provide for his omega, needing to take care of him now more than ever.

He also knew Nicky would shoot him if he found out he was letting societal rules get to him. But he couldn’t help it. He was afraid. What if he messed up? What if their kid hated him? What if he couldn’t protect them like he should? What if he wasn’t ready? What if Nicky started hating him for being a terrible father?

“Joe...baby, are you still there?” Nicky asked him, noticing Joe’s uneasy silence.

“Yes, I’m here, love.” Joe lifted his head from where it lay on Nicky’s chest and looked at him. Joe always found Nicky’s beauty breathtaking in its perfect imperfections, but right now, his omega was glowing. Not just the so-called ‘pregnancy glow’ with the flushed cheeks and shiny skin, but exuding a soothing aura that centered Joe.

“Hum, guys, should I leave now?” Booker was standing next to the kitchen counter, a beer in hand and looking a little out of place. Joe had completely forgotten about his presence. He had invited him over to watch football and play videogames later, something that he found himself doing way more frequently nowadays than ever, really. Joe knew that deep down this was just him desperately trying to hold on to one of the many elements of his life that was about to change. 

But as always, he had ended up talking about his fear of fatherhood and betting with Booker that he could change a diaper in under four minutes. He had been able to do it on the third try. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Seb. We kinda...forgot you were there,” Joe said guiltily.

“It’s ok, man, you two have a lot on your plate right now. Call me if you need anything.” Booker squeezed Joe’s shoulder and kissed the top of Nicky’s head as he headed towards the door.

After Booker had left, Nicky asked Joe, “Do you have anything to tell me right now?” 

Joe was a writer but Nicky was the one who could read him like a book. 

He put Nicky’s feet in his lap and started massaging them, noticing how they were a little swollen. “Do you need anything, darling? Water? Some berries? Cooked potatoes? Chocolate?”

Nicky let out a slight moan that could’ve been either due to Joe’s clever fingers working his feet or the mention of chocolate. 

“What I want is for you to talk to me.” Nicky pulled his feet off Joe’s lap and straddled him, his hoodie riding up a little at the motion, exposing a tiny sliver of skin from his beautiful bump. 

“I’m thinking about... accepting that position as a literature teacher that Booker referred me to,” Joe said.

An unreadable look flashed up in Nicky’s eyes. Something between disappointment, sadness and comprehension. “You don’t need to do that right now, baby.” Nicky cupped Joe’s face, voice and touch gentle. 

“I have to stop fooling myself, Nicky. I’m thirty-three years old and I’m going to be a father. I can’t keep waiting for my big break to happen anymore, I need something more reliable.” Joe had published short stories and poems in multiple magazines, some big and prestigious, others at the brink of bankruptcy. He had won a few awards, which had done wonders for his ego, but he knew there was only so much he could count on. He needed stability. Not for him and Nicky, but for their child. 

“Stop this. You’re the most talented person I know, Yusuf, and it will happen. I don’t want you to give up on your passion and dreams.” Nicky was Joe’s number one fan. One could argue, his _only_ fan. His faith in him scared Joe sometimes. What if Nicky was just one more person he’d let down in his life? Just like he had let down his father when he had decided to become a writer instead of working at his car dealership chain. 

“I don’t want you to wake up ten years from now and hate me for not doing my best for us, Nicky.” Joe spoke sincerely, pulling Nicky against his chest, burying his face in the crook of Nicky’s neck, smelling his sweet scent and holding him tightly. 

“And I don’t want you to wake up ten years from now and find me to be the cause of your anger and frustration. Or have our kid be it,” Nicky whispered softly in Joe’s ear and caressed the nape of his neck.

“That would never happen, Nicky.” Joe couldn’t imagine ever blaming Nicky, much less their child, for the choices he made. 

“Maybe. But it could. Whatever happens, Joe, we can make it work. We _will_ make it work.” Nicky pulled back and looked into Joe’s eyes, radiating so much love and confidence.

“How can you be so calm about this?” Joe’s arms circled Nicky’s waist.

“Because I trust you.” Nicky grabbed Joe’s hand and put it on his belly, “Because I trust _us._ ” He smiled and kissed Joe softly, lips tingling and reluctant to leave one another when they parted. 

“What do you think our child is going to look like?” Joe asked, hands roaming over Nicky’s body. 

“I don’t know. But I want them to look like you. I want them to have your curls, eyes and nose.” Nicky looked radiant and serious as he spoke, like he had spent a long time thinking about this. 

“That’s it? No beard, then? What if the baby was born with a tiny little beard covering their little face? A tiny, curly beard?”

Nicky giggled and buried his face against Joe’s neck, scenting his Alpha.

“Well, I want our baby to look like you. Your beautiful nose, your lovely beauty mark, your exquisite eyelashes, your unforgettable eyes and... my curls.”

Nicky let out a snort at that, tucking face even deeper against Joe’s neck to hide his flush.

Joe loved Nicky so much right then he felt like he could eat him up. 

It was fun to imagine how their baby would look like, especially given the fact they chose not to know the sex. Gender, sex and status couldn’t matter less for the two of them. The love would be the same.

“Take me to bed.” Nicky’s lips traced the shell of Joe’s ear, purring and rubbing against him.

Nicky slid off Joe’s lap, and Joe picked him up in his arms, Nicky’s added weight making it harder to carry him that way, but that was certainly not going to stop Joe. 

He settled Nicky into the soft cushions of their bed, Nicky gazing up at him adoringly, threading his fingers through Joe’s beard.

Nicky pulled Joe on top of him, and Joe went with it carefully, supporting his weight on his arms, framing Nicky’s head. 

Joe distributed light kisses over the expanse of Nicky’s neck and collarbones, lifting the hem of Nicky’s hoodie to rub his beard over Nicky’s smooth bump, a habit that he loved and a gesture that Nicky was obsessed with. Joe felt so close and attuned to their child when he did that, promising with every press of his lips, with every touch, his love and devotion. 

Nicky smelled of sandalwood and cinnamon. Of safety, peace and resilience. An encouraging word, a gentle touch and a trusting smile from him was everything Joe needed some days to get by. 

“I want to oil your belly,” Joe said, turning Nicky around in his arms and giving him nose kisses.

Nicky scrunched up his nose and nodded, smiling warmly at Joe.

Joe loved the intimacy of the gesture, of feeling their baby move under his hands as he softly lathered Nicky’s belly with oil, its chamomile scent comforting and soothing. In this moment, he felt known and seen by their baby. 

“Joe,” Nicky whimpered, and Joe looked up to see Nicky’s pupils blown and his cheeks flushed. Nicky made grabby motions for Joe, and Joe complied, the kiss growing more intense, a sense of urgency not present until now. 

The last time they had made love had been while they were painting the baby’s room. Something about seeing Nicky’s pale, thick thighs in shorts, his oversized shirt, the light stubble framing his strong jaw and the smidge of light pastel purple paint on his nose making all of Joe’s blood flow to his dick. And the look in Nicky’s eyes had told him he was two seconds away from jumping Joe’s bones. They had fucked on the bedroom’s floor, Nicky riding him slow and hard. 

Joe had to admit that the bigger Nicky’s belly grew, the more anxious Joe became about them having sex. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Nicky and their child because of that. 

When he told Nicky that, Nicky rolled his eyes and said, “If you stop having sex with me I’ll cut your dick off.” He could always count on Nicky to assuage his nerves. 

But now, as they lay side by side, Nicky’s back pressed to his chest, Joe’s nose tucked in the crook of Nicky’s neck, Nicky’s tight, slick heat enveloping and grounding him, Nicky’s hand entangled in his curls, hands intertwined, Joe knew he had everything he needed right here, his entire world narrowed down to the man he promised to make happy and cherish everyday. The doubts, the hardships, the mistakes, they would all come one day. But he could borrow some of Nicky’s faith and believe they would be ready for it. 

Nicky’s high-pitched moans and hitched breaths warned Joe that Nicky was close, and as Nicky trembled and crashed down in Joe’s arms, crying, “Cream me, Alpha,” Joe groaned and bit Nicky’s neck, licking and sucking his mating mark as he came inside his mate. 

They stayed like that, every inch of skin touching, losing themselves in each other’s scent and flesh. 

“You’re going to be an amazing _Baba_ , love. I never doubted that for even a second. The moment you decided to take cooking classes, I knew you were willing to do anything for our kid.”

Joe laughed and kissed Nicky’s shoulder. Joe was very much aware that his determination to be half as good as Nicky in the kitchen was trumping his culinary inabilities. 

All the labor and parenting books Joe had bought, all the preparations they’d made wouldn’t shield them from the twists and turns of parenthood. But as he held Nicky in his arms, Nicky’s warmth and light told him everything he needed to know. 

They would be fine. All three of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Share your thoughts with me! 
> 
> Thank you and find me at [shadowhannibad](https://shadowhannibad.tumblr.com/).


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